Improved method of lighting gas by electro-galvanic batteries



. A. WILSON. LIGHTING LAMPS BY GALVANIG CURRENT.

Patented Feb UNI-TED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

IM PROVED METHOD OF LIGHTING GAS BY ELECTRO-GALVANIC BATTERIES.

Specification forming part of Letters}, Patent N0. 19.460. dated February 23, 1858.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, ARCHELAUS VILSON, of Boston, in-the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Lighting Gas and Other Lamps by Means of Electriclt y or the Current from a Galvanic Battery, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this other lamps by means ota currentofelectricity, the gas being ignited by passing the current through-or along'a conducting-wire placed immediately over the jet issuing from the burner,

have, so far as I- am informed, been unsuccessful owing to this'fact,-amon'g others, that the wires,being'permanently held in the flame, will soon burn out or corrode.

The object of my invention is to light a gas or other burner for the purpose of illumination by a current of electricity in such a manner thatalterignition has been produced the'conductorot'clectricity shall not be exposed to the injurious efi'ects of the flame; and to this end my said invention consists in effecting this by ombining with agas or other burner or burners a vibrating electric'ct'mductor wl'iiclnshall pass .in close proximity with gas to be ignited, and

after producing ignition pass-oh" beyond reach ofthe flame; and my invention consists inthe employment of the motive power of an electromagnet for the purpose of bringing the electric conductor up to the burner or carrying it out v of the flame.

To enable others'skilled in theart to understand and use my invention, I will proceed to -'describe'the manner in which I have carried out the same.

In the drawings, A is the gaspipe, to which is attached near its upper end adisk, a, to one side of'whichis fastened-a block, b, Fig. 8. To

' this block is secured by one end a long spring,

0, that carries at its other end a'block, d. To

this block (I is pivoteda pawl, f,with its spring 6. The end of the pipe A is closed, and its extremity is perforated with two small holes, 1', Figs. 5 and 6, similar to those in an ordinary burner. Over the end of the pipe A is fitted a cap or tip, B, formed,-as shown in the drawings, with a plate at m, which rests on the end of the pipe A, and is perforated with two holes corresponding to the holes The tip is finished as usual at g, where the gas is burned.

To the lower part of this cap B is attached a ratchet-wheel, O, which rests on'the disk a. A

retaining-pawl, h, is pivoted to the disk at and engages with the ratchet O, which is caused to revolve by the vibration of the block d on the end of the spring 0, the pawl f engaging with this ratchet. The.manner in which the block 01 is vibrated will be presently .explained.

To the pipe A, a short distance below the disk a, is attached a bracket, 1), which sup ports the electro-magnets E, the wires from which lead to a suitable-battery, F, so that when the circuit is completed by means of a key-board or other suitable arrangement the coils E become magnetic and attract the armature G, pivoted immediately above them, at

It, to an arm, H, attached to the upper part of I the bracket 1). The two poles of another galvanic battery, I, are connected by wires n to two thin elastic metal strips, K. Two contactpoints, L, are secured on a block, M, of some nonconductingsubstance, which is attached to thearmature G, From these points L rise the bent-rods O, that extendup alongside of the burner and are furnished-at their upper ends with jaws or nippers, in which is secured at a proper height a thin platina wire, (representedby a red line, 0,-I ig. 3,) which extends from one to the other. A'cord or chain, 12,

connects one of. the rods 0 to the pawl f, so

that as the armatureG is drawn down and the rods 0 are vibrated the block (I is drawn forward and the pawl f feeds around the ratchet O. This turns the cap B for the purpose of from the bracket D. A pin, S, with screwnuts, rises from the arms H, where they are attached to the bracket through a slot in the arm 1?. By adjusting these nuts the vibration of the armature on its pivots 7c is regulated so as to bring the platina wire 0 directly over the apertures in the tip at 9.

- which are connected with the two poles of the battery I, and the circuit of this battery is closed, by which the wire 0 becomes heated and ignites the gas as it escapes from the tip. As the rodsOare vibrated the block (I isdra-wn forward, and the pawl f causes the ratchet O to be rotated one notch each time the circuit of the battery F is completed. This ratchetwheel and pawl may be so arranged that a single vibration of the rods 0 will besuiticient to open the gas-cock, or they may be arranged as in the drawings, requiring several vibrations of the rods 0 to bring the openings in the end of the pipe A to coincide with those in the cap, when the gas will issue from the tip 1 and bc'immcdiately ignited by the hot platina wire 0. 'lhelatter arrangement is the one which I prefer, as it does not require sogreat a vibration of the rods. The instant the circuit is broken the spring (1 drawsdown the arm P and throws the rods 0 into the posit-ion shown in the drawings,takingthe platina wire out of contact with the jet of ignited gas, and thus prevents it from being burned away, as it would be liable to if left exposed to the flame from the burner.

I have heretofore spoken only of applying this apparatus to the lighting of gas-lamps; but it is also applicable to oil and other lamps, particularly in any situation where the lamp or burner is in a position not easily accessible; and although I have described my said invention as applied by means of two batteriesone to supply the current to the igniting-conductor, and the other to supply the electromagnet for giving the required motion to the lighting-conductor to carry'it away from the flame after ignition has been produced, and to operate the valve apparatus for letting on and shutting off the gas-l have only done this because, in my judgment, it is the best mode of application of mysaid invention with which I am now acquainted; but I do not wish to be understood as limiting my claim of invention to such mode of application, as it will be obvious that the same battery maybe employed for all three of these purposes by having the same current pass through the coils surrounding the magnet and thence to the lightingconductor, so that the one current will supply the motive power for letting on and shutting ott the gas and for vibrating thelighting-conduetor, and for supplying the conductor to effectthercquiredignition; and it will be equally gas; or the current of electricity may be sim ply employed to supplythe lighting-conductor and the required movements forletting on and shutting oif the gas and removing the conductor from the flame after ignition has been produced by an independent mechanism.

It is also evident that, in lieu of bringing up .the electric conductor to ignite the gas by means of an. electro-magnet and carrying it back by means of a spring, the conductor may be brought up by a spring and carried back by the magnet. This method willbe adopted when the apparatus is worked with a closed circuit.

Instead of employing an 'electro-magnet to each burner, one magnet may be made to operate the electric conductors of several burners without departing from the principle of my invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Combining with agas or other burner a vibrating electric conductor, substantially as and for the purpose specified, so that after producing ignition the conductor shall be removed from the flame, substantially as described.

2. The employmentot the motive power of an electro-magnet with the combined vibrating electric conductor and burner, substantiall y as described.

ARGHELAUS WILSON.

In presence of- E A. ANDREWS, I. H. WILsoN. 

